HUS
588
HUS
wipe from the Engdom of Bohemia and the Mar-
gravate of Moravia the bad reputation of tolerating
disorders." The legate concluded his examination
by a demand of almost unconditional suljmission.
The " C'alixtines", now so called from the chalice which
decorated their flags, weapons, and clothes, took up the
unequal light; on 14 July, 1420, they inflicted a signal
defeat on the crusaders. Sigismund had recourse to
new negotiation on the four articles. But seeing his
best supporters wavering, he had himstdf crowned in
the cathedral of Prague (28 July), and two days later
he dissolved the crusatling army. In order to pay his
mercenaries he turned the treasures of several churches
into money, and pledged their lands to the nobles,
who never parted with them again.
The Utraquist magistrates imposed their whole will on the town and the university; riots and deeds of violence occurred everywhere; the wealthy monas- teries were the first and greatest sufferers. Many of the best citizens proclaimed their horror at the de- struction of the fairest buildings and their disgust with the Taborite forms of worship. In Prague, however, they were kept down by Johann of Selau, who had assumed a kind of dictatorship; in the country the Taborite leaders themselves thought it better to give another direction to the destructive mania of their followers. Ziska in the southern borderlands and the Prague army added victory to victory; the strong town of Wysehrad surrendered, 1 Nov., 1420, after a crushing defeat of Sigismund's troops. The rebels, now sure of their power, offered the Bohemian throne to King Wladislaw II of Poland. In March, 1421, King Wenceslaus returned to Hungary, leaving his country almost defenceless. By June of the same year the Hussites had established their dominion over the whole kingdom, with the exception of a few north- ern and western border districts. The inhaliitants were asked to accept the Four Prague articles or to emigrate within a stated time; captains and sheriffs were appointed to rule the towns with royal powers. Thus Utraquism and home rule supplanted Cath- olicism and German rule. The nobility accepted the new order; Archbishop Conrad of Prague adapted the four articles (21 April, 1421), ordained Utraciuist clergy, and invited the older clergy likewise to con- form. The metropolitan chapter, however, who had fled to Zittau and Olmiitz, remained faithful, and appointed the " iron " Johann of Leitomischl, later of Olmiitz, administrator of the archdiocese: the Hus- sites never had a sterner enemy.
Among the Taborites a new sect arose about this time. The priest Martin Loquis taught these rabid levellers of monasteries and murderers of priests that Christ was not really present in the Eucharist, con- sequently, that worshipping the sacrament was idol- atry. Sacrilegious profanations became the order of the day. Proceedings were taken by the Utraquist authorities, advised by the university, against the innovators. Loquis and another were taken pris- oners, dragged through the country, cruelly tortured, and finally burnt in a barrel. His four hundred fol- lowers were expelled from Tabor. For some time they roamed tlirough the country "as avenging angels", rolibing, burning, and killing. Ziska, in dis- gust, had twenty-four — others say fifty — of the worst put to death by fire. The remainder, reinforced by some fanatical Chiliasts, formed a sect of Adamites, subject to no law and po.ssessing their women in com- mon. Ziska surrounded them on their island in the River Ne2arka and exterminated them to the last man (Oct., 1421). The summer of 1421 was em- ployed by the Hussites in consolidating their new power. Succes.sful expeditions penetrated to the north-western border, burned more monasteries, killer! more monks, priests, and inoffensive citizens; but here also they suffered their first serious defeat at the hands d Catholic knights and the troops of Meissen
(5 Aug., 1421). As early as April a second army of
crusaders, twice as strong as the first, had been form-
ing at Nuremberg, while Sigismund was expected to
bring up his Hungarian army. The crusaders laid
siege to Saaz.
On 2 Oct. the news spread that Ziska was coming to the rescue of the besieged. This perhaps false infor- mation sufficed to disperse the crusaders and their five leaders in all directions in disorderly flight. Not a blow was struck. Sigismund entered Moravia, which he reduced to submission, and met Ziska in battle at Kuttenberg. The stronger battalions were on the emperor's side, but Ziska fought his way through them and shortly afterwards, at Deutsch-Brod, almost annihilated them (S Jan., 1422). This victory kept the Hussites' foreign foes in wholesome fear for many years; new crusades were indeed preached year after year, but not carried out. The field was left free for internal dissensions to undo what had so far been done. Prague began by shaking off the tyrannical dictatorship of Johann of Selau: with twelve of his partisans he was beheaded, 9 March, 1422. The mob avenged his death by ravaging the university, colleges, and libraries. Next, civil war broke out between, on the one hand the Taborites under Ziska, a few southern towns and Saaz with Laun in the north-west; and on the other, Prague with the whole nobility and the other towns. Its cause was the pro- posal to unite all parties under the administration of Sigismund Korybut, a nephew of the Grand Duke Witold of Lithuania, who had accepted the Bohemian crown refused by the King of Poland, and appointed Korybut as governor. The first victory again was Ziska's (end of April, 142:5). Some futile negotia- tions followed. From January to September, 1424, the Taborites waged a. most successful war, which led their victorious army up to the gates of the capital. Korybut and Prague now sent to Ziska the eloquent priest Rokyzana, who succeeded in bringing about a complete understanding between the parties. They then joined in an expedition against Moravia. Close to the Moravian frontier, at Pfibislau, Ziska fell ill and died (14 Oct., 1424).
His death was followed by new groupings of the parties. The closer partisans of Ziska, who repre- sented the moderates, now took the name of "Or- phans"; their priests still said Mass in liturgical vest- ments and followed the old rite; the more extreme Taborites chose new chiefs, of whom the most promi- nent was Andrew Procopius, a married priest sur- named "the Great" or "the Shaven", to distinguish him from Little Procopius (Prokupek) who in time became the spiritual leader of the Orphans. Orphans and Taborites fought together against any common foe; when there was no common foe they fought or quarrelled with one another. Their united forces, under Procopius the Shaven, won the battle of Aussig on the Elbe (16 June, 1426), in which l.'i,00() Germans and many Saxon and Thuringian nobles lost their lives, but they were beaten in their turn by Albert of Austria, at Zwettel, 12 March, 1427. Whilst these horrible wars were laying waste the country, the Macfistri of Prague, pro tern, the supreme judges in matters of Faith, divided into two parties. Koky- zana, Jacobellus, and Peter Payne favoured a nearer approach to the Taborite innovations; others had gained the conviction that peace and union were only to be found in returning to the Roman allegiance; the chalice for the laity was the only point they wished to retain. Korybut, the governor, favoured the latter view. He engaged in secret negotiations with Pope Martin V, but the secret having leaked out, Rokyzana, at the head of the populace of Prague, seized him and confined him to a fortress (17 April, 1427). The Hussites under Procopius the Sha\rr now raided Lusatia and Silesia. In July, 1427, r third army of crusaders, some 150,000 strong, entered
